Railway-switch



(No Mvodel.) 2 Sheets- Sheet 1.

J. W. HENDERSON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 313,866. Patentd Mar. 17, 1885.

.amg Quid# (No Model.) 2 sheetssheetu 2. J. W. HENDERSON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Mar. 17, 1885.

Parenti* trice..

JOHN XV. HENDERSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

erncirrcarronromimg par-i, of Letters Pai-.ent No. 313,866, dated Mal-Ch 17, 1ee5.

Application tiled November 12, 1853. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. HENDERSON, of the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have in- 5 vented an Improvement in Railroad-Switches,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to railroadswitches in general, but more particularly to that class in which the switch-rail when shifted in either direction is locked in such position, and which cannot be unlocked or the rails shifted while a train is passing over the same, and it consists in the combination,with a railroad-switch, of means to lock the rails in either of their two eXtreme positions, and a detecting-bar arranged along the rails for a given distance, and adapted to be lifted only when no car is above the saine, the said parts being operated from one cam bar or plate and by means of asingle switch-lever, andin many details of construction, all of which are fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof.

Herctofore' the switches have been made simple,with only a switch-lever directly connected to the switch-rails by means of a rod; or the shifting of the rails has been accomplished by a cani-plate and levers, and the switch-rails locked in position by a bolt actuated by another slot in said earn-plate,as shown in patent to Finch, No. 155,435, and dated September 29, 1874, or the rails have been shifted by one lever, locked by another, and their time of-action controlled by a detectingbar and its actuating-levers, as shown in the patent to Bonnell,No. 243,841,2tnd dated July 5, 1881, in which the detecting-bar lever is moved first, then the locking-lever and shifting-lever.` All these devices when provided with the detecting-bar require two or more actuating-levers, which is not only objectionable on account of slowness of operation, but also on account of expense of construction.

The object of my invention is to provide a railroad-switch with a lock and a detectingbar, and suitable operating mechanism by which the shifting of the switch-rails,the locking operation,and the lifting of the detecting- 5o bar may be all operated in their required order and by a single lever, thereby reducing the time reqniredto open or close a switch to a minimum, and also reduce the cost of construction and repairs necessary.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan viewof my improved safety railroad-switch. i Fig. 2 is a cross-section of saine ou line fc x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of part of the detecting-bar and its actnating-rod,show ing their inode of-support. Fig. 4 is a crosssection of Fig. 3 on line y y. Fig.. 5 is a perspective view of the mechanism for locking the switch-rails in either of their two extreme positions, and Fig. 6 is the slotted actuatingplate when arranged to be pivoted.

A A are the rigid rails, and A A' the switchrails,which are connected together by rods B, so that if one moves the other moves also.

C is the switch-rod, and is connected either directly with the switch or one of the rods B by the usual spring device, C. This rod O is hinged to a lever, C, whose other end is coniiected with the switch-actuating bar D, adapted to be reciprocated by a slotted plate, E, provided with a slot. F F Fl F3, and supported in guides c. The part F`l ofthe slot in plate E is used to open or close the switch and lock or unlock the switch and move the detecting-bar, according as it act-s on barD or D'.

K is the detecting-bar, which is carried in supports L, and guided by grooves L against the outer edge of the rail A, and when in its normal position its upper edge is just even with or slightly below the top of the said rail. This bar K may be of any length desired, and is provided atvarious places along its length with cam-blocks K, having cam projections k,and these blocks KAZ rest upon rollers L2, pivoted in the supports L, which are secured in place on the cross-ties by wood-screws Z. It' the bar K is pulled forward or backward, the cam projections k in passing over the rollers L2 cause it to rise and then fall, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 4, and if a train were passing the bar could not be raised, owing to the obstruct-ion presented by the tread of the wheel, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2. Thisl detecting-bar K is provided with a pin, K, which works in a slot or aperture, I, in the end of rod I, which latter is held by supports J, provided with wheels J2, journaledin frame IOO J', which extends over the top of the rod, as

strength, and reciprocating motion isimparted rod S. If the expansion of rod S when made to it by bell-crank H, link G, lever G, and detecting-bar actuating bar D, which is carried beside bar D in supports d, and is actuated by the same slot in plate E, only that shifting the detecting-bar the parts F, F2, and F3 come into play.

It is evident that the bell-crank H might be connected directly to the bar D', dispensing with the link G and lever G, or that the lever G2 or bell-crank H, -or both, might be actuated directly by the slot in the plate E. Thus far I have described the construction of the switchshifting mechanism and detecting-bar and devices to actuate the same, and I will now describethe locking mechanism.

N is the bolt, which is somewhat pointed, and is guided in bearings O, secured to the cross-ties or-a plate thereon. The end of this bolt is furnished with a vertical slot, n, in which a pin, M, secured to the detecting-bar K works, as shown in Fig. 5.

P is the locking-plate, being secured to the switch-rails A, and provided with holes p p',

y separated a distance equal toy the shift .of the rails A in. opening and closing the switch.

Now, if the plateE be moved to theleft, the bar Dl will be shifted by the part F2 of the slot, the bar D. remaining stationary. This action moves the detecting-bar back, withdrawing the bolt N from the hole p in locking-plate P. As the plate E is moved still farther the bar D comes to rest as the part F of the slot is in line with the movement of the plate E, and the bar D is shifted by oblique part F2 of the slot, shifting the switch-rails and opening the switch. A still farther movement effects only the bar D', asl the bar D is now acted upon by the part F of the slot without effect, while the oblique part, F3 comes into play on bar D, and shifts it in the opposite direction to its last movement, and causing the detecting-bar K to move also and shift the bolt N, sliding it into the holep and locking the switch in its new position. N ow, had a train been passing over the` switch, the operator at the signal-house could not have opened the switch, as the detecting-bar could f not have been raised, as it would havestruck the wheels; and as the switch cannot be unlocked or shifted until the detecting-bar is raised, the danger of opening the switch when the train is. partly over is obviated.

In place of using a sliding plate, E, it mayv be pivoted, as at x, Fig. 6, so as. to oscillate about said point as its axis, and the slots, are

long was not taken up, the plate E would be shifted, and might operate the detecting-bar and lock or the switch sufficiently to cause trouble.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a railroad-switch, the combination of a switch proper, locking mechanism to lock said switch in its open or closed positions, a vertically and horizontally reciprocating detecting-bar to prevent opening and closing of said switch during the passage of a train, double cam-plates K2, secured to said detecting-bar, rollers L2, journaled in stationary bearings, a cam-plate having an irregularlyshaped slot therein, a single operating-lever,

and connecting mechanism by which a single movement of said lever and plate actuates all of said parts, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a railroad-switch, the combination of the switch proper, locking mechanism loosely connected toI the detecting-bar, and actuated therefrom in a manner to follow its horizontal reciprocations,but not its vertical movements, to lock said switch in its open or closed position, a vertically and horizontally moving detecting-bar to prevent the opening or closing of said switch during the passage of a train, and a pivoted plate having an irregularlyshaped cam-slot vwith a single operating-lever, and connecting mechanism by which a single movement of said lever and plate actuates all of said parts, first unlocking the switch and actuating the detecting-bar, then shifting the switch, and finally locking the. same, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A switch for railroads, combined with locking mechanism to lock said switch in its open or closed positions, a vertically-moving and reciprocating detecting-bar independent of the said locking mechanism so far as its vertical movement is concerned,to prevent the unlocking of said switch during the passage of a train, the detecting-bar being connected tol and arranged to actuate said locking mechanism, a slotted plate,.and connecting mechanism to actuate said detecting-bar, substantially as and for the purposespeciiied.`

4. A switch for railroads, in combinationy with locking mechanism to, lock said switch in its open or closed positions, a reciprocating detecting-bar independent of said locking mechanism so far as its vertical movement is concerned, to prevent the shifting of the switch during the passage of a train, and arranged to. reciprocate thev bolt of the locking mechanism during its reciprocations, a movable plate provided with a single slot, and connecting mechanism by which said slot actuates both the lock and detecting-bar, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of rails A A, switchrails A A', detecting-bar K, plate E having slot F F E F3, locking-plate P,secured to rail A, bolt N,actuated by bar K, and connecting levers and bars, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The detecting-bar K,provided with camplates K2, in combination with blocks L, rollers L2, rails A, and means to move said bar longitudinally, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. The detecting-bar K,provided with camplates K2 and pin K, in combination with blocks L, rollers L, rails A, rod I, supports J, having rollers J ,and means to move said rod longitudinally, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. The detecting-bar K, provided with pin M, in combination with means to move said bar longitudinally and vertically, bolt N, having slot n, rails A A, switch-rails A A, and locking-plate P, having slots p p, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. In a railroad-switch, the combination of the switch proper, an actuating cam-plate, E, having slot F F F2 F3 and connecting mechanism, with an actuating-rod, S, and its lever, and expansion take-up devices interposed in said rod S,to take up all expansion and allow the line of the rod to remain straight, substantially as shown.

l0. The combination of a railroad-switch With an actuating-rod, S, and its lever, and expansion takeup devices consisting of levers T T and rod U, interposed in said rod S, to take up all expansion and allow the line of the rod to remain straight, substantially as shown. i

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

JOHN WV. HENDERSON.

Vitnesses:

R. M. HUNTER, W. MOWADE. 

